Just edited my thread. Thanks for all the help and I apologize for any misleading/misunderstand.

Hi all,

I'd like to build/buy a tactical AK similiar to the picture shown below. I don't know much about guns but I have managed to put together a complete lower AR-15 from scratch with house-hold tools. So I already owned an AR-15 in 5.56/.223 before.

I want to keep the price as low as possible, maybe $500 minus the accessories? Should I go with 7.62 or 5.45 caliber?

I would appreciate it if anyone could help me and do not go off topic, please.

This^^^^
And my reccomendation is as always a kit build in 545x39
If you must go 223 then I guess a.saiga will do it but you aint gonna build that for 500!
And quite honestly I think AR's are more better suited for you.

tdt00

12-06-2011, 8:02 PM

Thank you for all your advice. I've forgot to tell you to minus the accessories. Only $500 for the rifle alone.

I've thought about building another AR-15 but my last AR-15 was having problems with the magazine-well being loose and won't load properly. Plus, I wanted an AK because it's reliable, according to the experts from the Military channel :D

I'd guess a gun like that would cost you $900. You could save some money by not putting 5 rails on it and by nixing the laser. $500 could get you just the basic gun without the ninja tech.

MrPlink

12-06-2011, 8:53 PM

I did a ninja Ak like this one a few years ago. earlier this year I went back to stock, best decision I ever made

Richard Erichsen

12-06-2011, 9:16 PM

Hi all,

I'd like to build/buy a tactical AK in 5.56/.223 similiar to the picture shown below. I don't know much about guns but I have managed to put together a complete lower AR-15 from scratch with house-hold tools.

I want to keep the price as low as possible, maybe $500?

I would appreciate it if anyone could help me and do not go off topic, please.

$500? That will ALMOST cover the parts above and beyond the bare receiver and barrel. A more realistic target is $1050 if that image is your inspiration. If you want cheaper, the fancy rails, red dot and so on go away. There are really cheap/crappy red dots that can be had for less than $85, most will break the first time you take them to the range and bump them against the lane divider and will tend to eat batteries at such a rate the batteries alone will cost more than the red dot did in a year or two.

By the way, "tactical" is a misnomer - a "modernized" AK is a lot more concise.

Good luck,

R

Colt-45

12-06-2011, 9:20 PM

Thank you for all your advice. I've forgot to tell you to minus the accessories. Only $500 for the rifle alone.

I've thought about building another AR-15 but my last AR-15 was having problems with the magazine-well being loose and won't load properly. Plus, I wanted an AK because it's reliable, according to the experts from the Military channel :D

So a cheaply built AR means all AR's suck?:confused:

darkjedi351

12-06-2011, 9:26 PM

So a cheaply built AR means all AR's suck?:confused:

exactly!! fix what problems you already have before you try to "cheap" another gun.
you get what you pay for!

NorCalK9.com

12-06-2011, 9:30 PM

So a cheaply built AR means all AR's suck?:confused:

Ummmmmmm yes

NorCalK9.com

12-06-2011, 9:33 PM

exactly!! fix what problems you already have before you try to "cheap" another gun.
you get what you pay for!

Thats the great thing about an AK.... A $500 AK will always last longer with less problems than a $2000+ ar15

tujungatoes

12-06-2011, 9:39 PM

tdt00, The rifle in your picture is a fixed stock yugo M70b1. It's something of a specialty item in the world of ak's. The yugo's just did everything a little different. So that one is out of the question. Minus the little differences though, it's generally still a basic AKM and your intended mods could work on just about any kalashnikov style rifle.

AK pattern rifles in .223 aren't the norm though. Most are 7.62x39 or 5.45x39. For .223 caliber the most commonly available would probably be the Saiga .223. you could purchase one and convert the rear end for "around" $500. That'd get you the base rifle. Then when finances allowed you could get all the tactical bullsh*t later on(It's just not my thing dude:shrug:).

Pay no attention to comments from mamluke or norcalk9. Lately they just like to crap all over anything they don't think is cool. It's just a faze. They'll get over it eventually. It's your rifle, and goddamnit we live in AMERICA. Do whatever the hell you wanna do with it...welcome to calguns:D

NorCalK9.com

12-06-2011, 9:52 PM

Whoa hold on bud, where did I crap on his idea? I'm not huge one all the accessories but I actually like the tws rail, stock, and reddot! Where did I crap on his thread?
I even said he could do a saiga in 223/556.
Maybe you should read full posts instead of skimming.
And as for the AR comment I said that in the beginning cause it seemed like thats what he was after on my 1st impression.

tomd1584

12-06-2011, 9:55 PM

Whoa hold on bud, where did I crap on his idea? I'm not huge one all the accessories but I actually like the tws rail, stock, and reddot! Where did I crap on his thread?
I even said he could do a saiga in 223/556.
Maybe you should read full posts instead of skimming.
And as for the AR comment I said that in the beginning cause it seemed like thats what he was after on my 1st impression.

He's probably referring to the constant "AR's suk, buy an AK" or "A $500 AK will always last longer than a $200 AR".

We get it, you like AK's more than AR's. You don't need to keep telling people they're unreliable and crap.

NorCalK9.com

12-06-2011, 10:15 PM

He's probably referring to the constant "AR's suk, buy an AK" or "A $500 AK will always last longer than a $200 AR".

We get it, you like AK's more than AR's. You don't need to keep telling people they're unreliable and crap.

Lmfao I originally told him to stick with AR's
And if I thought AR's were better wouldnt I own one?
And if you thought AK's were better wouldnt that be your rifle?
And you are rite I dont like AR's so if that gets you butthurt well than i appologise.

Colt-45

12-06-2011, 11:16 PM

Ummmmmmm yes

lol biased much? The argument doesn't make sense. Judging all AR's by a crappy built AR built with the cheapest parts is ignorant.

That's like judging all AK's by the POS Wasr 10's that only fit 10 round mags, have ridiculous mag wobble and canted sights. Haven't heard many great things about the I/O Ceasar Ak's either, wait let me guess, those don't count?:rolleyes:

Here's another brilliant argument I hear from time to time: All 1911's suck because I shot a LLama .45 and it jammed :rofl2::laugh:.:rolleyes:

FiveSeven

12-06-2011, 11:46 PM

I did a ninja Ak like this one a few years ago. earlier this year I went back to stock, best decision I ever made

If it had good quality parts and not junk then you would have never went back to stock. There's no justification in it except purely purist fetish.
To many people slap cheap junk on AK's and it looks like junk. If you want to make proper tactical AK, do it right and you'll be happier at the end. Not will it look good but it would last longer.

I like tactical AK's but the one pictured here looks horrid.

xSARSx

12-07-2011, 3:10 AM

Lmfao I originally told him to stick with AR's
And if I thought AR's were better wouldnt I own one?
And if you thought AK's were better wouldnt that be your rifle?
And you are rite I dont like AR's so if that gets you butthurt well than i appologise.

lol i see you on every ak thread jujuntoe is right. and you do crap all over the ak, ar thing its actually kinda funny. i personally dont like ninjakool ak. but you dont always have to say ak over ar any day in every single ak thread. we get your point and we know you love to argue with ppl just get over it. :sleeping:

Ryan in SD

12-07-2011, 4:47 AM

I made this semi tacticool AK for around $400 (including accessories - bought sig dot used for $80) 922r compliant etc. Granted I did all the work myself.

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/7162/ak1pi.jpg

MrPlink

12-07-2011, 5:08 AM

If it had good quality parts and not junk then you would have never went back to stock. There's no justification in it except purely purist fetish.
To many people slap cheap junk on AK's and it looks like junk. If you want to make proper tactical AK, do it right and you'll be happier at the end. Not will it look good but it would last longer.

I like tactical AK's but the one pictured here looks horrid.

not at all, it was an approach in being pragmatic. the KISS approach if you will.

Did I need a quad rail? Nope. No use for fancy lazers and gizmos, having a VFG was not bad, but far from needed or even a huge benefit. The weight alone of the rail (any of em, take you pic) is more detrimental to me than the added ninja toys.

Collapsing stock. Nice I suppose, but being that I always used in the same position, it served no purpose. Im not deploying regularly out of vehicles where the saved space is an arguable bonus (who here is doing that with an AK anyway?) nor do I find myself with different degrees of fancy crap on a chest rig to where I would need to adjust LOP all the time.

The REAL reason I went back to stock (kinda) is I was tired of looking at all my pre-bans and not being able to use em. I went featureless in ninja form for a bit, but once again, no VFG and no folding stock at the point equaled a bunch of useless crap on my gun.

The aftermarket ninja for AKs has def improved as of lately, but its still far from where the AR sits right now. The AR has had the benefit of not just the MIL and GOV pouring a lot of $$$ into its more modern development, but a large portion of the commercial industry doing the same.
With the same amount of attention, there is no reason the AK cant "catch up"
and I honestly think it is to an extent, but it just isnt there yet. The real bottom line IMO is that the platform is just not conducive to such accessories as the AR is. Even at that, my more "modern" rifles really arent done up that fancy.

Dont get me wrong, Ive got both AKs and ARs, and at the end of the day there is no doubt, Im an AK guy.

ZX-10R

12-07-2011, 6:36 AM

You'll be fine OP...Find an AK pattern you wish...Out of the Box, that AK pattern looks like a Yugo and you will not get that cheap. The parts will probably be around $400 so you are looking at over $1100 easily. If you have that money more power to you. If you do not then save...Don't skimp. You need to determine why you are doing this to you AK though.

I added stuff to mine because it shoots very accurately...I posted pics of an 8 shot group and I attempted that with a stock one...NOT CLOSE at all. So I modded mine for my needs which were ergos which helped me group...I'm not talking 50 yrds I am talking 100yrds and over shooting which most of the ranges these SoCal guys go to are not. That is why my AK patterns looks the way it does and performs the way it does.

Good luck, save, look for deals, and don't buy cheap parts. The Texas Weapon Systems rail is well worth the money. I used it on a Draco for 50yrd shots and 25yrd shots and it does hold its mark.

venturasurf

12-07-2011, 7:29 AM

I modded mine for my needs which were ergos which helped me group...I'm not talking 50 yrds I am talking 100yrds and over shooting which most of the ranges these SoCal guys go to are not.

FYI- There was an AK on here in .223 about 2 weeks ago. A Yugoslavian M-90 to be specific for $1,300 by a Nor-Cal, Bay Area seller (Man, that thing was beautiful). I was looking for some mags for it and trying to save some extra cash to buy it, then listing disappeared after two days. :facepalm:

To the seller- Keep me in mind if you're planning to list it for sale again. I'm still trying to save my pennies for that thing. :o

.

NorCalK9.com

12-07-2011, 10:32 AM

lol biased much? The argument doesn't make sense. Judging all AR's by a crappy built AR built with the cheapest parts is ignorant.

That's like judging all AK's by the POS Wasr 10's that only fit 10 round mags, have ridiculous mag wobble and canted sights. Haven't heard many great things about the I/O Ceasar Ak's either, wait let me guess, those don't count?:rolleyes:

Here's another brilliant argument I hear from time to time: All 1911's suck because I shot a LLama .45 and it jammed :rofl2::laugh:.:rolleyes:

Lmao I have a wasr 10/63 and its a beast! Now over 12k rounds and only clean it every 4k rounds, see difference between me and you I was on the AR wagon for a good amount of time I never owned a noveske, but dd, rra, jd, aeroprecision, armalite uppers, and many other name brands,
Now I own AK's and that there wasr beats out any of those AR's and I highly doubt that noveske or any of the others can go thru what ive put that wasr thru and keep going.

NorCalK9.com

12-07-2011, 10:43 AM

lol i see you on every ak thread jujuntoe is right. and you do crap all over the ak, ar thing its actually kinda funny. i personally dont like ninjakool ak. but you dont always have to say ak over ar any day in every single ak thread. we get your point and we know you love to argue with ppl just get over it. :sleeping:

Lol yeah I do over endorse the AK and reason I do is cause in the beginning when i'd keep quiet AR guys smashed on the AK and when I went to get my first AK zx gave me good advice yet all the AR guys that were in that thread of mine had all their propaganda, n myths about accuracy...
As for modernizing an ak, i'm all for it, my friend just built his first ak and reaaly went modern tactical with it and I love it, so im not a purist on the looks just the system.

SJgunguy24

12-07-2011, 11:00 AM

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/SJgunguy24/myyugo.jpg

I built this for less then 500$.

NorCalK9.com

12-07-2011, 11:34 AM

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/SJgunguy24/myyugo.jpg

I built this for less then 500$.

I'll take it for $500 lol

zepman

12-07-2011, 11:57 AM

http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff464/zepman/IMG00413-20110218-0712.jpgHere is my WASR 10-63.Mods included cost me less then 550.I did all work including painting.
If you are after something like this I can give details when I have more time. Good luck......

Mamluke

12-07-2011, 12:07 PM

Pay no attention to comments from mamluke or norcalk9

I won't even dignify that with a response....

Let's move on,

OP; if you wanna get an AK, start with a bare bone one, get used & adjusted to the iron sights shooting the rifle, then later on, decide what tacticool stuff you wanna ad based on what you feel needs improvement on the rifle.

...My two cents ...:cool:

NorCalK9.com

12-07-2011, 12:15 PM

http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff464/zepman/IMG00413-20110218-0712.jpgHere is my WASR 10-63.Mods included cost me less then 550.I did all work including painting.
If you are after something like this I can give details when I have more time. Good luck......

That does look pretty cool!!!

1911ZENSHOOTER

12-07-2011, 12:20 PM

An AK in .223 is an oxymoron, if anything, get it in 5.45x39...

;)

.........
This is why I'd go 74.
--------> $299- 2,160 rounds

Why all the ninja toys?
Tactical=goes bang

chicoredneck

12-07-2011, 12:43 PM

Thats the great thing about an AK.... A $500 AK will always last longer with less problems than a $2000+ ar15

I have seen some cheap AKs that were total junk. Most notably and annoying is loose front sights that prevent the rifle from holding a zero and rusted out/pitted barrels, other loose and poor fitting parts.

I have also seen cheap AKs and ARs that were very nice, but more so do I see cheap AKs that shoot, but thats about all they do.

chicoredneck

12-07-2011, 12:44 PM

An AK in .223 is an oxymoron, if anything, get it in 5.45x39...

;)

.........

The 5.45x39 is better engineered for a 16" barrel than is the 5.56. Just sayin'.

Colt-45

12-07-2011, 12:59 PM

Lmao I have a wasr 10/63 and its a beast! Now over 12k rounds and only clean it every 4k rounds, see difference between me and you I was on the AR wagon for a good amount of time I never owned a noveske, but dd, rra, jd, aeroprecision, armalite uppers, and many other name brands,
Now I own AK's and that there wasr beats out any of those AR's and I highly doubt that noveske or any of the others can go thru what ive put that wasr thru and keep going.

There's a big difference between the Wasr 10's and the Wasr 10/63's.

NorCalK9.com

12-07-2011, 3:17 PM

There's a big difference between the Wasr 10's and the Wasr 10/63's.

Yeah the magwell has been opened up

NorCalK9.com

12-07-2011, 3:19 PM

I have also seen cheap AKs and ARs that were very nice, but more so do I see cheap AKs that shoot, but thats about all they do.

What more do you want it to do, make your morning kofy?
Goes bang- bullet goes straight- and it cycles the next round. Thats all I want

MrPlink

12-07-2011, 3:28 PM

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/SJgunguy24/myyugo.jpg

I built this for less then 500$.

LOL, being a pro builder and teasing us with cheap (but well built) rifles is cheating!

InGrAM

12-07-2011, 3:41 PM

Umm isnt an AK in 223 a Galil?

No, not really. The Galil is a copy of the Valmet RK62 which is designed off of the AK-47 and chambered in 7.62X39. So, yes and no. It is designed after a firearm that is designed after an AK. The Galil is basically the free world's Ak-47 considering it has a great deal in common with it yet, it was designed to shoot the 5.56 Nato round.

After owning both I feel that the Galil is a more refined version of the AK, but that is just me.

chicoredneck

12-07-2011, 3:42 PM

What more do you want it to do, make your morning kofy?
Goes bang- bullet goes straight- and it cycles the next round. Thats all I want
Maintain a zero, be able to hit at least close to where I am aiming, and run reliably. All areas where I have seen cheap AKs fail due the reasons I outlined in my previous post. I have seen cheap ARs have reliability problems too, but have not handled one that was incapable of maintaining a zero with factory
irons. I'm not knocking or praising either platform, just commenting about some of the cheaper products I have seen.

MrPlink

12-07-2011, 3:55 PM

Maintain a zero, be able to hit at least close to where I am aiming, and run reliably. .

meh' my cheapy WASR has no problems with any of that

NorCalK9.com

12-07-2011, 4:11 PM

Maintain a zero, be able to hit at least close to where I am aiming, and run reliably. All areas where I have seen cheap AKs fail due the reasons I outlined in my previous post. I have seen cheap ARs have reliability problems too, but have not handled one that was incapable of maintaining a zero with factory
irons. I'm not knocking or praising either platform, just commenting about some of the cheaper products I have seen.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=508155
All these cost me less than 500 to build and id have no prob comparing them to any semi auto rifle.

SJgunguy24

12-07-2011, 7:46 PM

LOL, being a pro builder and teasing us with cheap (but well built) rifles is cheating!

Oh just wait, I got some parts coming for a "tactical AK" idea that i've been tossing around. It won't have anything that is commercially made except for the receiver.